01st October 2019 The Acting Director for the National Disaster Management Office Ms. Litiana Bainimarama opened the tsunami inundation modelling and mapping training under the International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC) Training Programme which takes place here in Nadi, Fiji from the 30th September to 04th October 2019.
While infrequent tsunamis can be extremely deadly because of their quick onset and immediate impacts within minutes. In order to warn quickly and have the public evacuate when necessary, all key Ministries and Agencies in Tonga must pre-plan and have protocols and procedures which are to be well known to every stakeholder and the people of Tonga.
These measures must be well-exercised and practiced. It is important that communities must know their hazard and risk and prepare in advance so that every person can recognize the tsunami danger and know what to do to save their lives.
This TEMPP Training course is intended to be a standardized course and process to produce reliable and practical community – level tsunami evacuation maps. The direct outcomes are for communities to know what to do and where to go when a Tsunami warning is issued or when self-responding to the natural signs of a Tsunami. Upon the completion of this training, participants from Tonga would have the capability and tools to replicate the community evacuation map processes and procedures in our country.
Community Tsunami Risk is reduced through per-event evacuation planning. Therefore the key objectives of this training are: (1) To identify Inundation Area, (2) Develop Tsunami Evacuation Maps, (3) Develop Tsunami Response Plans and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and (4) To conduct Tsunami exercises.
The participants from Tonga from the Ministry of MEIDECC and Ministry of Lands & Survey being represented by Mr. Laitia Fifita (Chief Meteorologist), Ms. Yumi Nafe (Assistant Geologist) and Mr. ‘Aisea Fungavai (Community Awareness Officer) will cover the explanations and use of inundation models for evacuation, earthquake tectonics, tsunami science, bathymetric and topographic grids, earthquake source parameters, forecast methodology, tsunami modelling and tsunami hazard assessments. These skills will is expected to achieved by the end of this intensive one week training and to be effectively implemented in Tonga. Participants from other countries in the region includes, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
During the Opening Ceremony of this training statement a moment of silence was observed to remember our fallen brothers and sister in the tragic Tsunami Event in Niuatoputapu Island. On this day, 10 years ago was the Tsunami event that damaged properties and deaths in Niuatoputapu. This 10th Anniversary of the Niuatoputapu Tsunami event in 2009, serves to remind us how Tsunami events can impact our lives and properties. Therefore, the understanding and preparedness of our people and country to such events is of paramount importance as the islands of Tonga is very vulnerable to locally generated events due to its proximity and geographical settings to the Tonga Trench.
ENDS
Issued by the Department of Meteorology (MEIDECC)